We aren't really the victims. After all, we created the system ourselves and as long as we keep consuming, it will continue to exist. Ultimately, capitalism only mirrors human nature.
Renata SaleclI do have the power. I can decide for myself what I want, even if the thought stresses me out.
Renata SaleclWe still can't control the consequences our choices will bring. Not only do we want freedom of choice, but we also want a guarantee that whatever we choose will be exactly as we envisioned it.
Renata SaleclI don't criticize political or electoral freedom, but capitalism's perversion of the concept: the illusion that I hold the power over my own life.
Renata SaleclWe constantly feel stressed, overwhelmed and guilty.It's our own fault if we're unhappy. It means we made a bad decision.
Renata SaleclWhen I speak about the "tyranny of choice," I mean an ideology that originates in the era of post-industrial capitalism. It began with the American Dream - the idea of the self-made man, who works his way up from rags to riches. By and by, this career concept developed into a universal life philosophy. Today we believe we should be able to choose everything: the way we live, the way we look, even when it comes to the coffee we buy, we constantly need to weigh our decision. That is extremely unhealthy.
Renata Salecl